Council approves several budget adjustments, hears public concerns about COVID spending
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Summary
Council approved reappropriations and additional appropriations for unemployment and proper-attorney lines, appointed a Discover Boone member and heard a public request for investigation into COVID-related fund disbursements.
The council approved a series of budget items and heard public comment.
Approved items included two highway reappropriations to move funds between salary and road-preservation lines to align payroll (amounts and fund codes were discussed in session). An additional appropriation to cover a negative unemployment-insurance line was opened for public hearing, received no in-room speakers, and was approved. For the proper-attorney line, county staff said a state grant for pretrial and drug-court attorney fees had been awarded after the bills were already due; the council approved an advance to pay attorneys now on the condition the county would be reimbursed when grant funds arrive.
During public comment, Jody Stewart asked the council to investigate roughly $500,000 in COVID-related payments and requested records showing what additional work justified the payments; Stewart said the answers given previously were insufficient. The council did not take immediate action during comments but acknowledged the request.
Other business: the council appointed Dustin Plunkett as the required unincorporated-member representative to the Discover Boone board and tabled a justice-center expense update after a prior legal briefing by the county attorney. Nicole Shell, director of the Area Plan Commission, announced an open house on the county's comprehensive-plan update at the Boone County Fairgrounds Farm Bureau Building with a presentation by HWC at 6:30 p.m.
Ending: Council adjourned after routine motions.